BOULDER, Colo. — Singer-songwriter and producer Ryan Dart will release his new single, “Wranglers and Rock & Roll,” on March 20, a heartfelt tribute to the western lifestyle that shaped him and the music that carried him through it.
“I grew up watching old westerns, dreaming of riding like the heroes in The Man from Snowy River and Lonesome Dove,” Dart recalls. “Then I got bucked off a horse near Yellowstone National Park at age 12 and broke my arm in three places. It didn’t quite play out like a Hollywood movie.”
– Ryan Dart
Though the fall tempered his early cowboy bravado, it never dimmed his connection to ranch life. From his grandmother’s Dust Bowl stories of traveling by covered wagon from South Dakota to Colorado, to childhood rodeos in rural Arkansas and Oklahoma, to watching Ryan Bingham compete in Fort Worth by day and sell out Billy Bob’s Texas by night, Dart’s love for horses, rodeo culture, and the people who sustain it runs deep.
“There’s something real and honest in that western lifestyle,” he says. “It demands respect getting out in the summer heat or a January blizzard to care for your animals, putting in the hours to compete at a high level, and doing it all with grit and genuine kindness. The bond between a rider and their horse isn’t built overnight.”
“Wranglers and Rock & Roll” was co-written with a friend and quickly rising Colorado songwriter Danno Simpson one evening at Dart’s farm in Berthoud, Colorado. The track blends love story and rodeo lore with electric guitars and features the fiddle work of Texas legend Richard Bowden. It captures the vibe of teenage summers when “cowgirls in Wrangler jeans and a great rock & roll song felt like all you needed in the world.”
While the song leans into nostalgia complete with insider rodeo references like “the short go” Dart is careful not to over-romanticize the past.
“Horses used to be more a part of everyday life, but those times took some tough skin too,” he says. “Not everyone will catch every rodeo term, but I hope the feeling lands for everyone.”
Born in Colorado and raised in rural Arkansas, Dart’s music bridges the rugged landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and the Ozarks. A longtime member of the Coupe Studios family, he has spent decades behind the scenes as a producer, engineer, tour manager, and artist manager for acclaimed acts including Elephant Revival, Dinosaur Jr., and J Mascis. He has also toured globally with artists such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Ryan Bingham, Wilco, and Beck.
In 2024, Dart returned to Coupe Studios as Producer and Director of Music and Media Partnerships, while continuing to write, record, and perform.
“Wranglers and Rock & Roll” offers a spirited preview of Dart’s forthcoming album, If Love Don’t Break You, (May 1, 2026) a deeply personal collection shaped by divorce, the loss of his farm, falling in love again, and life as a single father. The album explores love, loss, resilience, time, and healing grounded in the hard-earned authenticity that defines both ranch life and rock & roll.
“Wranglers and Rock & Roll” is available March 20 on all streaming platforms.
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